A news report is a fact-based account of a story or event that has happened. Or, write about the details of an event, such as a school fair, field trip or festival, that will happen after this edition is published.

Gather Information | Organize | Write | Illustrate | Edit | Add to the Layout

Gather Information

1. Think about the information you need, and where you can find that information. Are there people you can interview? Make sure your sources are reliable!
2. Gather information - the FACTS and QUOTES that tell about your story.
3. Be sure to cite your sources – that is, tell where your information came from.

Organize

1. Clean up your notes if you need to. Check your facts and make sure you have what you need.
2. Put the facts in order from most important to least important. It can help to use an outlining program like Inspiration to do this.

Write

After you gather your facts, write your story in paragraph form, starting with the most important information first.
Finally add a “lead sentence” to the beginning of your article. A good lead summarizes the main idea, and makes people want to keep on reading! Your llead sentence summarizes your story by answering:

• WHO:
• WHAT:
• WHERE:
• WHEN:

Add quotes from participants, witnesses or experts to support your facts. If you need help with writing, check out our writing tips.

Illustrate

Include a photo or illustration - your photo needs:

• a caption
• If you drew the picture or took the photo, add a by-line, with your first name(s) and last initial(s), e.g. 'By John P.'
• If you found the photo on the web, add a credit, e.g. 'Photo from www.coolsite.com'

Edit

Edit your story for spelling, grammar and to make sure it makes sense.

• Include a HEADLINE in present tense. The headline font should be larger than the body
• Include a BY-LINE with your first name(s) and last initial(s), e.g. 'By John P.'

Add to the Layout

Follow our layout instructions to put your story and illustration on a news page.